Last year was rather strange to me in having a few months during which I was followed around the city of Shenzhen by a journalist crew. I wasn't the only one; they were trailing the lives of seven other individuals, all from varied backgrounds, trying to understand a little of how people's lives were shaping up in the new city, and how development is more about people and interactions than physical spaces and infrastructure.

The purpose of the undertaking was to create a promotional video for the city government. Shenzhen has lots of superlatives attached to its development, being now one of the big four cities of China, however despite its remarkable growth and entrepreneurial spirit it remains almost unknown to the majority of overseas populations due to its rapid rise from nowhere and lack of international promotion.

​I was able to meet the other participants recently, and was pleased to find that we all shared great enthusiasm for how the city is developing as a place to really "live."

Thanks do go to Dayong Wang and Luwei Zeng from June 6 (Shenzhen) Creative Management Ltd. for really capturing the spirit of what is emerging.